Piksik Boosts Team with an Old Helping Hand

February 19, 2013

James Dommek, Jr. is proof that sometimes having a foot in the door is all it takes. Dommek was first hired by Evergreen Films, a film company NANA acquired an ownership stake in 2010 and has now worked his way in as an independent contractor for Piksik.

Dommek’s portfolio of work includes being a production assistance for by Piksik, NANA’s film support service company, as an extra for the 2012 feature film, “Big Miracle,” the feature-length 3-D video project, “Walking with Dinosaurs,” and assisting with commercials, and fashion shows. He received Production 101 training at a shareholder training opportunity presented by NANA.

When not called to work for Piksik assisting in various projects, Dommek is drummer for Alaskan band, The Whipsaws. The Whipsaws saw their tenth anniversary last October, where they also released their third album.

Making music, Dommek says, is his favorite thing to do. “I feel it’s my favorite part of the day. It’s what I do. I enjoy it.” The band was invited to the East Coast in January 2013 to perform live, where they gave performances in Philadelphia, and New York City.

The link between Dommek’s position at Piksik and his career as musician is that both of his jobs include entertainment. “I enjoy being involved in these projects where the end result is entertainment,” says Dommek. “Someone else is hearing it or watching it and enjoys it.”

A NANA shareholder from Kotzebue, Dommek says he is thankful for his roots to his home village and for his experiences as part of his culture. “I feel grateful to have grown up in Kotzebue, for school, for family involvement, and to subsistence hunt and fish.”

James Dommek, Jr. (left), shareholder from Kotzebue, a production assistant for Piksik taking a break with Robert “Bob” Crockett, Piksik’s general manager, after completing a commercial project for Radical Media at the Knik Glacier last October.